Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/570

382 peace and security to the Indian while teaching him useful arts from generation to generation. To sum up and express the underlying principle of this thought, the writer will quote a sentiment uttered by the Rev. Elkanah Walker, who had spent ten years in teaching Indians on the Spokane river from 1837 to 1847. Mr. Walker preached his last sermon in this life at the little union church at Gaston, Oregon; during the course of which he referred to his experience among the Indians, and closed his address with this remark: "It will take a long, long, long time to make a white man out of an Indian, but it takes but a very brief time to make an Indian or.t of a white man."

It is impracticable to include in this history the long and tedious account of the Indian wars of Oregon. The narrative would crowd out other and more important matter. And whilst the personal experiences of beleaguered settlers, the courage of reckless Indian fighters, and the hair-breadth escapes from savage brutality would be to many readers interesting in some ways, yet it would not teach any useful lesson. But leading examples of the Indian war game will be given, which will fully illustrate the whole period of the wars; and important battles upon which depended the fate of the dying Indian tribes and confederacies will be given.

The Whitman Massacre was the opening chapter of seven years of more or less uninterrupted warfare with the Indian tribes of Oregon. The first call for men to punish the Cayuses for the murder of Whitman and safeguard the immigration to Oregon was made by Governor Abernethy of the Provisional government. The news of the massacre reached Oregon City on December 8th after the horrible deed, being communicated to the governor by a letter from Fort Vancouver carried by a special messenger. That night a meeting was called for volunteers to go to the Dalles and defend that Mission and stop any marauding party that might attempt to descend the Columbia and attack the white settlers. The meeting resulted in a volunteer company of forty-five men, who adopted the name of "Oregon Rifles" as the name of their organization. Most of the men had their own rifles, but those who lacked arms were furnished by Dr. McLoughlin on their own credit. H. A. G. Lee was made captain; J. Magone, 1st lieutenant; and John E. Ross, 2nd lieutenant. This being the first military force called in to existence to defend the infant state of Oregon, the names of all these brave men going out to defend their homes and the homes of their neighbors and furnishing their own arms and rations without pay, deserve to be mentioned here as "The First Defenders" and have their names recorded here as follows:

Joseph B. Proctor, George Moore, W. M. Carpenter, J. S. Rinearson, H. A. G. Lee, Thomas Purvis, J. Magone, C. Richardson, J. E. Ross, I. Walgamoutts, John G. Gibson, B. B. Rogers, Benj. Bratton, Samuel K. Barlow, Wm. Berry, John Lassater, John Bolton, Henry W. Coe, William Beekman, Nathan Olney, Joel Witchey, John Fleming, John Little, A. J. Thomas, Geo. Westby, Edward Robson, Daniel P. Barnes, J. Kestor, D Everest, J. H. McMillen, Jno. C. Danford, Ed. Marsh, Joel McKee, H. Levalley, J. W. Morgan, 0. Tupper, R. S. Tupper,